A list of films produced by the Hindi film industry based in Bombay in 1931:
A list of films produced by the Hindi film industry based in Bombay in 1931:
1931 was a ground-breaking year for Indian cinema. The first Hindi Talkie Alam Ara was released on 14 March 1931 in Mumbai's Majestic Cinema. [1] The film was produced by Imperial Movietone and directed by Ardeshir Irani. It starred Master Vithal, Zubeida, Prithviraj Kapoor and Wazir Mohammed Khan. The first song to be sung in films was by Wazir Mohammed Khan for Alam Ara, "De De Khuda Ke Naam Par" under the music direction of Firozeshah Mistry.
This year saw the release of 207 silent films from all over India and 28 Talkies. [2] Out of the 28 talkies 23 were in Hindi, 3 in Bengali, one in Tamil, and one in Telugu. [3] The first Bengali film was Jamai Shashthi by Madan Theatres Calcutta. The first Tamil film was Kalidas produced by Imperial Movietone and the first Telugu talkie Bhakta Prahlada, was directed by H. M. Reddy for Bharat Movietone.
Madan Theatres Ltd, who had lost out in the race to produce the first talkie in India with Shirin Farhad which followed two months later, produced 8 Talkies from Calcutta. [4] Shirin Farhad was "twice as successful" compared to Alam Ara, and had 17 (out of the 18) songs sung by Jahanara Kajjan and Master Nissar. [5]
| Title | Director | Cast | Genre | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aatishe Ishq | Dhirubhai Desai | Prabhashankar, Chandrarao Kadam, Mumtaz, Hamid, P. R. Joshi, Budhikar | Saroj Film Co. | |
| Abhishek a.k.a. The Anointment | Prafulla Roy | Uma Sashi, Jiban Ganguly, Bhaskar Paul, Veena, Chani Dutta, Bela Rani, Purnima Shome | Graphic Arts, Calcutta. | |
| Abul Hasan | Prafulla Ghosh | Khatoon, Master Bachchu, Hadi, Shahzadi | Sagar Movietone. | |
| Afghan Abla | Narayan Deware | Begum Fatma, Ebrahim, Jamuna, Raja Babu, Usha, Ganibabu | Kohinoor United Artists. | |
| Alam Ara | Ardeshir Irani | Master Vithal, Zubeida, Prithviraj, Sushila, Jagdish Sethi, Wazir Mohammed Khan, Elizer, Sakhu, Miss Jilloo, Lakshmi Vara Prasad | Costume | Imperial Film Company. Music: Behram Irani, Ferozeshah Mistry |
| Albeli Mumbai | Nanubhai Vakil | E. Billimoria, Shanta Kumari, Ghory | Ranjit Film Company. | |
| Alladin and the Wonderful Lamp | Jal Ariah | Patience Cooper, Miss Sylvia, Ratansha Sinore | Fantasy | Madan Theatres Ltd. |
| Amir Khan | Ganpat Shinde | Anasuya, Kishori Pathak, Sakharam Jadhav, Mathura | Hindustan Cinema Film Co, Nasik. | |
| Aparadhi a.k.a. The Criminal | Debaki Bose | P.C. Barua, Sabita Devi, Samar Ghosh, Shanti Gupta, Renubala, Sushil Majumdar, Prabhavati, Arti Devi, Purnima Shome, Nirmal, Radhikanand | Social | Barua Film Unit, Calcutta |
| Asire Hirs a.k.a. Nemesis of Lust | Haribhai Desai | Manohar, Jamadagni, Jamu Patel, Baburao Gade, Zunzharao Pawar, Baby Garbo | Surya Film Co. Bangalore. | |
| Awara Raqasa a.k.a. Bhatakta Joban | Abdul Rashid Kardar | Nazir, Begum Gulzar, Gul Ahmed, Rukhia Khatoon, Hiralal | Social | United Player's Corp. Lahore. |
| Anang Sena | M. Gidwani | Zohrajan, Master Vithal, Mushtari, Elizer, Jagdish Sethi Jilloobai | Costume | |
| Title | Director | Cast | Genre | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baaz Bahadur a.k.a. Rani Rupmati | Bhal G. Pendharkar | Sulochana (Ruby Myers), Choudhary | Historical Drama | Maharashtra Film Co. Kolhapur |
| Badmash a.k.a. Rascal | Rama Chowdhary | Jal Merchant, Yasmin, Jyotsana, Dixit | Navjawan Film Co. | |
| Bahadur Beti | A. P. Kapoor | Zebunissa, P. Jairaj, Meharbanu, Miss Salu | Social | Sharda Film Company. |
| Banke Sawariya | Jayant Desai | E. Billimoria, Ishwarlal, Shanta Kumari, Ghory, Manilal | Ranjit film Company. | |
| Bewafa Ashiq | Dr. Alvaro | Bhagwandas, Leelavati, Fatma | Surya Prakash Film Co. | |
| Bharati Balak | Agha Hashar Kashmiri | Patience Cooper, Master Mohan, D. Sarkari, Sharifa, Surajram, Mohammed Ishaq | Costume | Madan Theatres Ltd. |
| Bijli | Ramankant, Ghare Khan | Indira Devi, Dixit, Bhagwandas, Jaswant | Navjawan Co. | |
| Chandbibi a.k.a. Queen of Ahmednagar | N. D. Sarpotdar | Kamla Devi, Hira Dharwadkar, Jadhavrao, Varne, Bhaurao Datar | Historical Drama | Aryan Film Co. |
| Chandrasena | V. Shantaram | Kamla Devi, Leela pendharkar, Gulab, G. R. Mane | Historical Drama | Prabhat Film Company. |
| Chintamani | Kanjibhai Rathod | Shanta Kumari, Haider Shah, Master Mohammed, Kashinath, Manjula, Fateh Singh | Devotional | Bharat Movietone. Music: Lyrics: |
| Title | Director | Cast | Genre | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dagabaaz Dushman | Kantilal Patel | Yusuf, Gulab | East India Film Co. | |
| Dard-E-Jigar a.k.a. Songs of Sorrow | R. N. Vaidya | Khalil, Nurjahan | Sharda Film Co. | |
| Darkness To Light | Bapsy Sabavala | Bapsy Sabavala | ||
| Dhartikamp | Harshadrai Mehta | Navinchandra, Mohini, Baburao Apte, Nizam, Bhim, Alam Sultan, Lobo, Manilal | Mehta Luhar Productions. | |
| Daulat Ka Nasha | Pesi Irani | Master Vithal, Khalil, Tarabai, Hadi, Jilloobai, Jamshedji, Makand | Social | Talkie. Imperial Movietone. Music: Firoz Shah Mistry, Mohammed Hadi Lyrics: |
| Debi Choudhrani | Priyanath Ganguly | Anupama, Kartik Roy, Naresh Mitra, Rani Sundari, Shyam Mukherjee, Nani | Social | Madan Theatres Ltd Silent |
| Devi Devyani | Chandulal Shah | D. Billimoria, Gohar Mamajiwala, Bhagwandas, Keki Adjania, Miss Kamla, Baburao Sansare, Baba Vyas, Sudhir | Mythology | Talkie. Ranjit Film Company. Music: Jhandekhan Lyrics: Narayan Prasad Betab |
| Digvijay | Asooji | P. Jairaj, Sitara Devi, Gulab | Sharda Film Company | |
| Dilawar | R. G. Torney | Master Vithal, Pramila, Mehboob Khan, Lakshmi, Mubarak | Sagar Movietone | |
| Diler Daku | JBH Wadia, Homi Wadia | Fatma Jr, Yashwant Dave, Mumtaz | Action | Young United Players. Silent film. |
| Diwani Duniya | Naval Gandhi | Thomas, Zubeida | Kohinoor United Artists. | |
| Draupadi | Bhagwati Prasad Mishra | Prithviraj Kapoor, Ermeline, Khalil, Jagdish Sethi, Jilloobai, Rustom Irani, Nayampally, Hadi, Elizer | Mythology | Imperial Movietone. Music: Lyrics: |
| Dushman-e-Iman | Homi Master | Ebrahim, Jamuna, Raja Babu | Pratap Pictures. | |
| Dushman Ki Raat a.k.a. Night of Terror | Balasaheb Yadav | Nandrekar, Sushila Devi, Balasaheb Yadav, Padmabai | Maharashtra Film Co, Kohlapur. | |
| Eye For An Eye a.k.a. Meethi Chhuri | Madanrai Vakil | Zubeida, Yakub, Khurshid, Romila, Ghulam Qadir, Sankatha Prasad, Salvi | Sagar Film Company. Silent film. | |
| Farari a.k.a. Outlaw | Y. D. Sarpotdar | University Art Federation. | ||
| Farebi Daku a.k.a. Mysterious Bandit | Abdul Rashid Kardar | Gul Hamid, Gulzar, Nazir, M. Ismail, Hiralal | Action | United Player's Corp. Lahore. |
| Farebi Shahzada | A. R. Kardar | Gul Hamid, Gulzar, Nazir, M. Ismail, Hiralal | Costume Action | United Player's Corp. |
| Fauladi Firman a.k.a. Fists of Steel | Baburao | Wamanrao Kulkarni, Master Bachchu, Jen, Baburao Gade | Action | Surya Film Co, Bangalore. |
| Title | Director | Cast | Genre | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gayab-e-Garud a.k.a. Black Eagle | Harilal M Bhatt | Keki Adjania, Miss Mani, Paro Nag | Mahavir Photoplays, Hyderabad | |
| Ghar Ki Lakshmi | Kanjibhai Rathod | Rampyari, M. Gaznavi, Sardar | Krishnatone. Silent film | |
| Ghulami Zanjeer | Haider Shah, Durga, Rafiq Ghaznavi, Manohar | Krishna Film Co. | ||
| Ghunghatwali | Nandlal Jaswantlal | Madhuri, Ishwarlal, Baburao Sansare, Thatte | Ranjit Film Co. | |
| Golibar | Bhagwati Mishra | Prithviraj Kapoor, Ermeline, Mazhar Khan, Romila | Sagar Movietone | |
| Gulam | Moti B. Gidwani | Master Vithal, Manorama, Zaverbhai Qaiser | Imperial Film Company. | |
| Gwalan a.k.a. Milkmaid | Nagendra Majumdar | E. Billimoria, Sultana | Ranjit Film Company. Music: Lyrics: | |
| Harishchandra | Kanjibhai Rathod | Haidar Shah, Neelam, Kashinath, Master Mohammed, Fateh Shah | Mythology | Talkie. Krishnatone. Music: Master Mohammed Lyrics: |
| Heer Ranjha | J. P. Advani | Shanta Kumari, Master Fakir | Legend Romance | Talkie. Krishnatone. Music: Ali Baksh Lyrics: |
| Hoor-E-Misar | Prafulla Ghosh | Zubeida, Master Vithal | Sagar Film Company. | |
| Hoor-E-Roshan | Nanubhai Vakil | D. Billimoria, Madhuri | Ranjit Film Company | |
| Hridaya Veena | A. P. Kapoor | P. Jairaj, Zebunissa, Ata Mohammed | Sharda Film Co. | |
| Husn Pari | A. P. Kapoor | P. Jairaj, Mehtab | Sharda Film Co. | |
| Intaqam | Haribhai Desai | Manohar, Waman Rao, Jena, Peters, Zhunzharrao Pawar, Baburao Gade | Surya Film Company, Bangalore. | |
| Iraq Ka Chor | K. P. Bhave | Sushila, Vasantrao Pehalwan | Costume Action | National Film Co, Hyderabad |
| Jadu-E-Mohabbat a.k.a. Magic of Love | Harshadrai Mehta | Gulab, Nandram | Sharda Film Co. | |
| Jamai-Babu | Kalipada Das | Kalipada Dass, Radharani, Pravat Coomar, Sibapada Bhowmick, Amulya Bandhopadhay, Rajen Barooah, Sadhana Devi | Comedy | Hira Film Coy. Silent film |
| Kamar Al-Zaman | Gazanfarali Shah | W. M. Khan, Sultana, Pramila, Mazhar Khan, Cho Cho Lam, Jamshedji, Manorama Sr, Tarabai, Hansraj | Costume | Imperial Film Company |
| Khooni Katar a.k.a. Golden Dagger | Abdul Rashid Kardar | Miss Gulzar, Gul Hamid, M. Ismail, Hiralal, Ghulam Qadir, M. Zahoor | Action | United Player's Corp. Lahore. |
| Khuda Ki Shaan | Rama Chowdhary | Sulochana (Ruby Myers), Salvi, Elizer, Sushila, Raghunath, Makanda | Imperial Film Company | |
| Kismet Ki Hera Pheri | R. L. Shorey | Haider Shah, Zohrajan, Maqbul, Miss Sardar, Abdul Rashid Kardar, Harold Lewis (Majnu), Hukum Singh, Kamla Devi | Costume | Oriental Players, Lahore. Pioneer Film Co., Punjab. |
| Laila Majnu 1 | J. J. Madan | Jehanara Kajjan, Master Nissar, Shaila | Legend Romance | Talkie. 24 songs. Madan Theatres Ltd. Music: Brijlal Varma Lyrics: |
| Laila Majnu 2 | Kanjibhai Rathod | Haider Shah, Rampyari, Rafiq Ghaznavi, Mangle, Fatehsingh, Ali Bux | Legend Romance | Krishnatone. Music: Lyrics: |
| Title | Director | Cast | Genre | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Namak Haram Kon a.k.a. A Bid For The Throne | Madanrai Vakil | Prithviraj Kapoor, Ermiline, Mubarak, Leelavati, Jagdish Sethi, Zaverbhai Qaiser | Costume | Imperial Film Company. |
| Noor Jahan | Ezra Mir | Mazhar Khan, Vimala, Mubarak, Nayampally, Jamshedji, Hadi, Jilloobai, Zaverbhai | Historical Drama | Talkie. Imperial Film Company. Music: Joseph David Lyrics: |
| Pak Daman a.k.a. The Pure | Kanjibhai Rathod | Rampyari, Haider Shah, Yakbal, Vishnu | Krishnatone. | |
| Raj Tilak | Madanrai Vakil | Mazhar Khan, Ermeline, Mehboob Khan, Rustam Irani, Elizer, Gohar | Costume | Imperial Film Company. |
| Romantic Prince a.k. Meri Jaan | Prafulla Ghosh | Master Vithal, Zubeida, Yakub, Mehboob Khan, Sankatha Prasad | Sagar Movietone. Silent film. | |
| Roop Sundari a.k.a. Wages of Sin | Sultana, Shahzadi, Zubeida | Mysore Pictures Corporation. Silent Film | ||
| Samaj Ka Shikar | M. Gidwani | Patience Cooper, Gul Hamid, Master Mohan, Sharifa | Social | Madan Theatres Ltd. |
| Satyawadi Raja Harishchandra | J. J. Madan | Jehanara Kajjan, Mohammed Nawab, Patience Cooper, Sharifa, | Mythology | Madan Theatres Ltd. Music: Lyrics: |
| Sea Goddess a.k.a. Dariani Devangana | Dhirubhai Desai | Padma Devi, Zebunissa, Chandra Rao Kadam, Pawar, Ata Mohammed | Fantasy | Saroj Film Company. Silent |
| Shakuntala 1 | J. J. Madan | Master Nissar, Jehanara Kajjan, Shehla, Nawab, Sharifa | Mythology | Talkie. Madan Theatres Ltd. Music: Brijlal Sharma Lyrics: |
| Shakuntala 2 | M. Bhavnani | Zebunissa, Ashraf Khan, Zahiruddin, A. P. Kapoor, Najju Begum, Ranibala, Prabhashankar, Dinkar Bidkar | Mythology | Talkie. Saroj Movietone. Music: Lyrics: A. P. Kapoor |
| Sher-E-Jawan a.k.a. Dashing Youth | Ramakant, Gharekhan | Haider Shah, Rampyari, Charlie, Madhukar Gupte, Ghulam Hussain | Krishna Film Company. Silent film. | |
| Shirin Farhad | J. J. Madan | Master Nissar, Jehanara Kajjan, Mohamed Hussain, Master Mohan, Sharifa, Abdul Rehman Kabuli | Legend Romance | Talkie. Madan Theatres Ltd. Music: Brijlal Varma Lyrics: Agha Hashar Kashmiri |
| Shuri Sinha a.k.a. Lioness | Prafulla Ghosh | Ram Pyari, Haider Shah, Rafiq Ghaznavi, Miss Sardar | Krishna Film Company. Silent Film. | |
| Third Wife | Social | Madan Theatres Ltd. | ||
| Toofan | Bhagwati Mishra | Prithviraj Kapoor, Ermeline, Fali Merchant | Sagar Movietone. | |
| Toofani Taruni | Bhagwati Prasad Mishra | Yakub, Ermeline, Jal Merchant, Laxmi | Action | Sagar Film Company. |
| Trapped a.k.a. Farebi Jaal | M. Bhavnani | Durga Khote, Jal Khambata, Enakshi Rama Rau, Master Vasant, Sushila, Annapurna, Talpade | Social | Talkie. Indian Art Productions. Music: Lyrics: Vasant Amrit |
| Veer Abhimanyu | Prafulla Ghosh | Zubeida, Yakub, Jal Merchant, Baburao Sansare, Mehboob Khan, Sankatha Prasad, Jilloobai | Mythology | Sagar Movietone. Music: S. P. Rane |
Alam Ara is a 1931 Indian Hindustani-language historical fantasy film directed and produced by Ardeshir Irani. It revolves around a king and his two wives, Navbahaar and Dilbahaar, who are childless; soon, a fakir tells the king that the former wife will give birth to a boy, later named Qamar, but the child will die following his 18th birthday if Navbahaar cannot find the necklace he asks for. Meanwhile, the king finds out that Dilbahaar falls for the senapati Adil, leading the king to arrest him and evicts his pregnant wife, who later gives birth to Alam Ara (Zubeida).
Khursheed Bano, often credited as Khursheed or Khurshid, was a singer and actress, and a pioneer of the Indian cinema. Her career ran through the 1930s and 1940s, before she migrated to Pakistan in 1948. Making her debut with Laila Majnu (1931), she acted in over thirty films in India. She is best known for her film Tansen (1943) with actor-singer K. L. Saigal, which featured many of her memorable songs.
Jahanara Kajjan, or "Miss Kajjan", was an Indian singer and actress active during the 1920s and 1930s, often referred to as the "Nightingale of Bengal". The reigning queen of early talkie movies glamorous movie sensation the trained classical singer, the fashion icon and the trendsetter, Jahanara Kajjan she was known as "Lark of Hindi Cinema" and the "Beautiful Nightingale of Bengal Screen". She along with Master Nissar made most sought after and popular singing pair of the stage and film.
Akkineni Laxmi Vara Prasada Rao, known professionally as L. V. Prasad, was an Indian film director, producer, actor, and businessman. He was one of the pioneers of Indian cinema and is the recipient of the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the highest Award for films in India. In 1980, he was awarded the Raghupathi Venkaiah Award, for his contribution to Telugu cinema.
Khan Bahadur Ardeshir Irani was a writer, director, producer, actor, film distributor, film showman and cinematographer in the silent and sound eras of early Indian cinema. He is considered one of the greatest personalities in recent Indian Cinema. He was the director of India's first sound film Alam Ara. He was the producer of India's first colour film Kisan Kanya. He was renowned for making films in Hindi, Telugu, English, German, Indonesian, Persian, Urdu and Tamil. He was a successful entrepreneur who owned film theatres, a gramophone agency, and a car agency.
Bhakta Prahlada is a 1932 Indian Telugu-language Hindu mythological film directed by H. M. Reddy and produced by Ardeshir Irani of Imperial Film Company. It is the first sound film of Telugu cinema. It features Sindhoori Krishna Rao as the titular Prahlada, along with Munipalle Subbayya, Surabhi Kamalabai, Doraswamy Naidu, Chitrapu Narasimha Rao, and L. V. Prasad. No complete synopsis of the film that is known to survive, but it is an adaptation of a play of the same name.
Prabhat Film Company was an Indian film production company and film studios founded in 1929 by the noted film director V.Shantaram and his friends.
Jamai Shashthi is a 1931 Bengali short film directed by Amar Choudhury and produced by Madan Theatre Limited. It is a milestone of Bengali cinema as it was the first Bengali short film as a talkie. It was released at Crown Cinema Hall in Calcutta on 11 April 1931, in the same year as Alam Ara, the first Indian talkie.
Nitin Bose was an Indian film director, cinematographer and screenwriter of the nation's film industry. He was born in Calcutta and died in the same city. In the 1930s and early 40s, he worked with New Theatres, who made bilingual movies: in both Bengali and Hindi. Later, he moved to Bombay and directed under the banners of Bombay Talkies and Filmistan.
Amar Choudhury was an Indian film actor, director, editor and writer. He wrote and directed Jamai Shashthi in 1931 produced by Madan Theatre Limited, credited as the first Bengali talkie. He acted in this film too as in all of the films written and directed by him. It was released on 11 April 1931 at Crown Cinema Hall in Calcutta in the same year as Alam Ara, the first Indian talkie was released.
Kalidas is a 1931 Indian Tamil- and Telugu-language biographical film directed by H. M. Reddy and produced by Ardeshir Irani. It is notable for being the first sound film in the Tamil and Telugu languages, and the first sound film to be made in a language from South India. It was based on the life of the Sanskrit poet Kalidasa; it featured P. G. Venkatesan in the title role and T. P. Rajalakshmi as the female lead, with L. V. Prasad, Thevaram Rajambal, T. Susheela Devi, J. Sushila, and M. S. Santhanalakshmi in supporting roles.
The East India Film Company was an Indian film production company, based in Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, British India. It was the first Indian film company to screen a movie at an international film festival. Started in 1932 in Calcutta, by R. L. Khemka, it went on to be a pioneer in producing films across the several regional film industries, including Bengali, Hindi, Urdu, Telugu, and Tamil, in the decade after its founding; till then, production companies were restricted regionally.
Cinema of South India, refers to the cinema of the four major film industries in South India; primarily engaged in making feature films in the four major languages of the region, namely — Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam. They are often colloquially referred to as Tollywood, Kollywood, Sandalwood and Mollywood, respectively.
Master Vithal or Vithal (1906-1969) was an actor in Indian cinema, best known as the hero of India's first talkie Alam Ara (1931) and of Marathi and Hindi silent stunt films, which gave him the epithet as the Douglas Fairbanks of India.
Gyan Mukherjee was an Indian film director and screenwriter, who worked in Hindi cinema, best known for the hits Jhoola (1941) and Kismet (1943).
Sarvottam Badami (1910–2005) was an Indian film director of Hindi, Telugu, and Tamil films. He started his career as a sound recordist for the first talkie in India, Alam Ara (1931). In 1948 he helped set up the Films Division for news-reel and documentaries, where he worked as the chief producer in the newsreel department and also made documentaries. His active years were from 1932 to 1952 when he retired from the Films Division and from making feature films to settle in Bangalore.
Nartaki (Dancer) is a 1940 film directed by Debaki Bose for New Theatres Ltd, Calcutta. A bilingual made in Hindi and in Bengali, it had story and screenplay written by Bose, with cinematography by Yusuf Mulji. Music was composed by Pankaj Mullick. The cast had actress Leela Desai playing the title role of Nartaki. Najam also called Najam-Ul-Hasain or Najmul Hussain had left Bombay Talkies following his affair and elopement with Devika Rani, had now joined New Theatres Ltd, where he was cast in films like Anath Ashram (1937), Dushman (1939), Kapal Kundala (1939), and Nartaki. The rest of the main cast included Jagdish Sethi, Wasti and Pankaj Mullick in the Hindi version.
Sagar Movietone also Sagar Films, Sagar Film Company and Sagar Productions was an Indian film production company involved in the making of films for Indian cinema. It was launched by Ardeshir Irani with Chimanlal Desai and Dr. Ambalal Patel in 1929 in Bombay, Maharashtra, India. Sagar was initially started as a branch company of Ardeshir's Imperial Film Company. Several key figures from Imperial, such as Mehboob Khan were shifted to Sagar. The studio was in operation from 1930 to 1939. In 1940, it combined with General Pictures to form National Studios. It made "Parsi theatre based films, mythologicals and stunt movies". Sagar fostered the career of many artists who rose to prominence. Early directors such as Prafulla Ghosh, Sarvottam Badami, Ezra Mir and Nanubhai Vakil were promoted by the company. Mehboob Khan got his first break as a director in Al Hilal in 1935. He was referred to as "the most important alumnus" from Sagar, who went on to become one of Indian cinema's "most influential film-makers".
Shirin Farhad is a 1931 Hindi language musical film. It was the second Indian film with sound. It was based on the love story from the Shahnameh of Farhad and Shirin by Nizami Ganjavi. The film was directed by J.J. Madan and starred Nissar and Jehanara Kajjan. Alam Ara was released earlier the same year and was the first Indian film with sound.
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